The present invention relates to door lights and more particularly to "integral door lights" wherein the door light frame is incorporated structurally into the door.
A door light is a window assembly especially adapted to be mounted within a door. Typically, the door light and door blank are manufactured separately from one another. The door light is subsequently mounted within the door blank by removing a portion of the door blank to form an opening and then mounting the door light within the opening. Typically, the door light includes inner and outer frames which engage the opposite sides of the door to sandwich the door blank therebetween.
Recently, "patio doors" have gained increasing popularity as an alternative to the traditional sliding door. The patio door is a hinged door supporting a door light extending the majority of the height and width of the door. Mounting traditional door lights in patio doors is undesirable for a number of reasons. First, the traditional manufacturing method is wasteful of material since the majority of the door blank must be removed and discarded to receive the door light. Second, the door light frame protrudes from both sides of the doors resulting in an undesirable bulky appearance.
As a consequence, "integral door lights" have been developed. "Integral door light" means any door light wherein the frame is specially adapted to structurally interfit with the remaining door components during manufacture to support the frame within the door.
Examples of integral door lights are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,585 issued Oct. 15, 1985 to Governale entitled DOOR PANEL AND METHOD OF MAKING and U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,535 issued May 4, 1982 to Governale entitled DOOR WITH GLASS PANEL. In both patents, the door light frame is assembled about the glass prior to manufacture of the door. The door light frame is then entrapped between the opposite steel jackets or skins of the door to maintain the door light in position. Specifically, a lip extends inwardly from both jackets to interfit with a groove in the door light frame. Following manufacture, the door light frame comprises an integral portion of the door construction and cannot be removed without substantially destroying the door. Therefore, the door light glass cannot be removed from the door subsequent to manufacture for replacement in case of breakage, scratching, or fogging.